The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for transferring products and, more particularly, to an automated and integrated method and apparatus for packaging, loading, storing, and/or retrieving a specified product. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is particularly useful in the field of hospital and pharmacy structures for moving, stocking, and automatically distributing predetermined quantities of medicines of various types in individual packages. However, it should be recognized by persons of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention is useful in other fields for the storage and transfer of any product associated with or having a package.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267 discloses one example of a system for storing and retrieving a product. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267 stores products in a storage rack having a flat grid pattern. Each storage location on the storage rack has distinct X, Y coordinates, and each storage location must only hold packages containing the same type of medicine. A user may utilize a computer to order a specific medication, and the computer commands a mechanical picking arm/device to retrieve a package containing the medication from a specific X, Y coordinate location on the storage rack. This requires a lot of movement by the picking arm/device. Moreover, it consumes time by requiring the picking arm/device to travel a significant distance to the specific X, Y coordinate location on the storage rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267 possesses several other shortcomings. Due to the flat grid pattern of the storage rack, the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267 requires a relatively large amount of space to store a variety of products. The limitation that each storage location can only hold packages containing the same type of medication also contributes to the large amount of space required by the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267. In addition, several features limit the speed and efficiency of the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267. In particular, the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267 cannot simultaneously load the storage rack with packages and retrieve packages from the storage rack. Moreover, the storage rods and the storage rack are immobile. As a result, the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267 is slow, inefficient, and bulky.
In light of the shortcomings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267, a need exists for an automated storage and retrieval system that requires less space than the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267. Another need exists for an automated storage and retrieval system which can store different types of products on the same storage screw. Still another need exists for an automated storage and retrieval system that can load the storage device more efficiently than the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267. Yet another need exists for an automated storage and retrieval system that can retrieve a product from the storage device more efficiently than the system of U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,267. A need also exists for a storage device that has individually rotatable rows of storage locations. In addition, a need exists for an unloading device that may simultaneously unload multiple packages from the storage device. Moreover, another need exists for an automated storage and retrieval system that can simultaneously load and unload the storage device with products.
The present invention provides methods and devices that fulfill and/or facilitate the achievement of some or all of these needs. A preferred embodiment of a system of the present invention may include a packager, a feeder device, a magazine, an unloading device, and a control unit. The packager packages a predetermined quantity of a product in a package. A loading screw of the feeder device engages the package. After the package is engaged, a distal end of the loading screw is coupled to a distal end of a storage screw of the magazine. The package is then transferred from the loading screw to the storage screw by jointly rotating the loading screw and the storage screw in a predetermined direction. The package may be stored on the storage screw of the magazine for a desired time period. The control unit maintains a data base of the location and contents of each package in the magazine. The unloading device is adapted to take the package out of storage. When a user orders the product, the unloading device engages the package with a suction cup. The suction cup removes the package from the storage screw and delivers it to a predetermined release point. At the predetermined release point, the suction cup releases the package and leaves it in a predetermined location such as a tote, container, bin, etc.
In addition to the novel features and advantages mentioned above, other objects and advantage of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following descriptions of the drawings and preferred embodiments.